CHINA BANS UNDER-18S FROM PLAYING VIDEO GAMES FOR MORE THAN THREE HOURS A WEEK

Tue 31 August 2021:

China has banned under-18s from playing video games for more than three hours per week, Reuters reported. Chinese government said the need for a strict social intervention to combat a rising addiction to what it formerly referred to as “spiritual opium.”

The new laws, which went into effect on Monday, are part of a fundamental shift by Beijing to tighten control over society and key areas of the economy, like as technology, education, and real estate, following years of rapid growth.

The limits, which apply to all devices, including phones, are a major setback for a worldwide gaming business that serves tens of millions of young people in the world’s most valuable market.

According to the Xinhua state news agency, under-18s are only allowed to play for one hour every day, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On public holidays, they can also play for an hour at the same time.

The National Press and Publication Administration’s (NPPA) regulations come as part of Beijing’s broader crackdown on China’s tech giants, such as Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings.

The battle to stop what state media described as some companies’ “savage growth” has wiped tens of billions of dollars off the value of shares sold at home and abroad.

“Teenagers are the future of our motherland,” Xinhua quoted an unnamed NPPA spokesperson as saying. “Protecting the physical and mental health of minors is related to the people’s vital interests, and relates to the cultivation of the younger generation in the era of national rejuvenation.”

Gaming businesses will be prohibited from selling services to minors in any form outside of the specified hours, and must verify that real-name verification methods are in place, according to the authority overseeing the country’s video game market.

Under previous restrictions, China limited the amount of time under the age of 18 may spend playing video games to 1.5 hours on any given day and three hours on holidays.

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